Shoe press



March 2s, 1939. 11F. sMiTH sHoE PRESS IFiledSepi'.. 2, 1957 Patented Mar. 28, 1939 lPATENT .OF FICE snoE PRESS John `Frederick Smith,

Quincy, Mass., assgnorto Compo Shoe Machinery Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application September 2, 1937,.Serial No. 162,131l

v8 Claims.

This Vinvention relates to presses for use in attaching shoe Velements together'characterized by an inflatable pressure applying pad, and, more particularly, to means for conducting inflating fluid to the pad.

A general object of the invention .is the provision in a shoe press having an inflatable pad of fluid conducting means which permits ready and rapid mounting and demounting of the pad'without necessitating disturbance of associated structure, is simple in `construction and capable of being economically manufactured and assembled.

A more specific object of the invention is the provision in such a press of inflating fluid cohduit structure which permits easyremoval or replacement of the pad by simple manipulation of a single anchoring device without disturbing portions of the conduit structure such as a valve connection.

v Other ob-jects of the invention` will in part be obvious andY will inv part appear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises -the features of construction, combination of elements, and arrangement of parts, which will be exemplied in the construction hereinafter set -forth and the scope of the application of which `will be indicated in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the-nature and objects of the invention reference should be Ahad to the following detailed' description taken in connecton with the accompanying drawing, in

which:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view with parts in section and broken away of a shoe press showing an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged, detailed vewvvith parts in section and broken away of the inflating flui conduit structure shown in Fig. 1;.and

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view through the conduit structure taken-substantially on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Prior to the present invention, it has been a practice to assemble shoe elements with suitable cement therebetween in ashoe press adapted to place them under pressure while the cement is setting. Such a shoe press commonlyincludes an inflatable pressure pad mounted upon the press frame and provided withan inating fluid conduit. In known types of such presses the conduit extends to the rear of the ,press and terminates in a valve connection adapted to being engaged by an inating chuck. The usual pad consists of a rubber bladder surroundedbya casingof suitable material such as leather. Acom- (Cl. 12-f36) mon form of inflatingconduit forthe pad comprises a stem extending therefrom and through anopening in the press `base of the press frame and is provided near its base with .external threads forengagement by a nut to secure the pad in position on the press frame. Beyond the threaded base the stem is bent substantially 4at right angles and the end thereof is engaged bya sleeveprojecting through an openingin a depending portion. on the rear of thebase of the press frame. The vsleeve at'its outer end. is internally threaded to receive va Valvel structure comprising Aa valve seat and a spring biased valve normally seated there against and associated with a plunger for unseating the same. In order to assemb-le 'the structure the valve stem must be guided through the opening in the press frame and secured in position with the nut. The sleeve is then Vprojected through the opening in the depending portion Yand the end thereof is threaded upon the. end of. the stem. To 'demountorreplacethe pad itis thus necessary .to removethe sleeve carrying the valve .and then the nut. engaging the stem.

This entails considerable labor and vnecessitates removal or, disturbance .of the entire conduitstructure. The structure Aof the present invention eliminatesl the necessity of following the above procedure and avoids the difficulties attendant thereon. Assembling, removal or replacement of the padrequires .merely a` simple manipulation of a single anchoring. device without necessitating,.disturbance'of the valve connection,Y the conduit Hstructure being r made in parts in a -rmanner `whereby the pad and associated stem rmay be quickly and easily mounted upon and demounted fromthe press frame without .disturbing the valve and conduit structure associated therewith.

The. embodiment of the invention shown in thedrawing comprisesapress frame base member il! recessed to receive an inflatable pressure pad H comprisinga rubbery bladder I2 adapted to be `nflatedand. deflated and `a casing. i3 of suitable material. such as leather. The inflatable pad constitutesa .work engaging .facewhich is yieldable and capable of vapplying pressure to work held thereagainst. The press ,frame includes a bow member I4 having toe and heel posts I5Vand i6 Vconstituting abutment means to hold, a shoe or lastedupper (notshown) on a last l1 against upward movement. For convenience ofy access kto the valve inflating conduit, particularly when such a press is to be used witha carrier orontnuous `conveyor of .known type,

the inflating conduit terminates at the rear of the base member IU in a valve structure I8 provided with a projecting plunger I9 for unseating the valve. Thepress shown in the drawing is depicted only by way of example, since the present invention may be used with equal advantage with any type of shoe press provided with an inatable pad such as a iiat platen press of the type disclosed in my copending application, Serial No. 138,735 led April 24, 1937.

The base member I0 is provided on the bottom thereof with a depending web 20 terminating in a boss 2| having an opening 22 extending therethrough to the inner side of the base member. A conduit 23 communicates with the opening 22 atea point within the wall or boss as shown, and may comprise a bore extending from a threaded valve receiving socket 24 or if desired, particularly when the base casting is porous as is frequently the case in mass production, a tube located in such a bore having its Y outer end adapted to receive a gasketto provide an air tight connection with the end of the valve structure I8. i

'I'he pad bladder I2 is provided with a stem 25 comprising a hollow throat member having an aperture 26 leading to its interior adapted when the steml is in position in the opening 22 to communicate with the conduit 23. The stem ork throat member 25 may comprise a thimble having means such as a ange on its inner end engageable against an interior wall of the pad and a threaded outer end projected beyond the press frame wall and engaged by a uidtight cap to close the outer vend of the thimble and seal the ends of the wall opening 22.

- In the preferred form the stem 25 comprises a stay bolt having its head 26' engageable against an interior wall of the bladder I2 and its outer end 21 extending beyondthe press frame wall or boss 2| and threaded to receive a cap or nut 28 and a sealing gasket 29. 'A rubber gasket 30 is preferably placed between the bladder I2 and the inner side of the press framewall adjacent the inner end of the opening 22. When the nut 28 is tightened the inner and outer ends of the opening 22 are eiiiciently sealed by the gaskets 30 and 29. The stay bolt 25 is provided with an axial bore 3| communicating with the interior of the bladder I2 and extending short of its outer end 21. Thefconduit 23V communicates through aperture 26 with the bore 3I; The passage provided by the stem 25 between conduit 23 and the interior of the bladder I2 may be formed in any suitable alternative manner, such as by a channel in the exterior surface of the stem 25 communicating between the conduit 23 and the interior of the bladder I2 by means of a hole in the stem head 25'.

To prevent rotation of the stem 25 in the opening 22 the former is preferably provided with a rectangular section and the opening 22 is similarly shaped to receive it as is more clearly shown in Fig. 3. It is to be understood, however, that any suitable alternative means may b'e used for this purpose, such as fins seating in grooves in the wall of the opening 22, keys and keyways or any other desired angularly shaped section.

It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above are eiciently obtained. Preferably, the conduit 23 is mounted on or formed in the frame I0 and the valve structure is mounted in the outer end thereof. The pressure pad is then easily and readily mounted by inserting the stem 25 in the opening 22 and applying the nut or cap 28 to the projecting threaded end 21. Thus the pad may be readily removed without disturbing the remainder of the conduit structure by removing the nut or cap 28 and withdrawing the stem 25 from the opening 22.

Since certain changes may 'be' made in the above construction and diiTerent embodiments of the invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the aboveV description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the follow- `ing claims are intended to cover al1 of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a press having a pad carrying frame and an inatable pressure pad carried thereby, the combination comprising, a press frame wall adjacent said pad and having an opening therethrough, a hollow throat member in said opening having an open end communicating with the interior of said pad, said press having a conduit communicating with said wall opening, said throat member having an aperture leading to its interior and located in said wall opening in position to receive uid from said conduit, a ange on the inner end of said throat member overlying the interior wall of said pad, a gasket surrounding said throat member between said pad and press wall, an outer gasket surrounding said throat member adjacent the outer side of said press wall, and a single tightening nut threadable over the outer end of said throat member to tighten both said gaskets in sealing relation at the ends of said press wall opening.

2. InL a press having a pad carrying frame and an inflatable pressure pad carried thereby, the combination comprising, a press frame Wall adjacent said pad and having an opening therethrough, a hollow'throat member in said opening having an open end communicating with the interior of said pad, said press'having a conduit communicating with said wall opening at a point within said wall, said throat member having an aperture leading to its interior portion and located in said wall opening in position to receive iluid from said conduit, means sealing the inner end of said wall opening around said throat member, and means including a fluid-tight cap sealing the outer end of said wall opening.

3. In a press having a pad carrying frame and an inatable pressure pad carried thereby, the combination comprising, a press frame wall adjacent said pad and having an opening therethrough, a hollow throat member extending through said opening and having an open end communicating with the interiorof said pad, said press having a conduit communicating with said wall opening at a point within said wall, said throat member having an aperture leading to its interior and located in said wall opening in position to receive fluid from said conduit, a flange on the inner end of said throat member engageable against an interior pad wall, the outer end of said throat member being threaded and projected beyond said press frame wall, and a nut threadedly engaging the projecting end of said throat member and sealing the outer end of said wall opening, said nut serving also to tighten said iiange to the press wall to seal the inner end of said wall opening.

4. In a press having a pad carrying frame and an inatable pressure pad carried thereby, the combination comprising, a press :frame wall adjacent said pad and having an opening therethrough, a hollow throat member in said opening having an open end communicating with the interior of said pad, said press having a conduit communicating with said wall opening at a point within said wall, said throat member having an aperture leading to its interior portion and located in said wall opening in position to receive uid from said conduit, means to prevent rotation of said throat member, means sealing the `inner end of said wall opening around said throat member, and means including a uid-tight cap sealing the outer end of said wall opening.

5. In a press having a pad carrying frame and an inflatable pressure pad carried thereby, the combination comprising, a press frame wall adjacent said pad andhaving an opening therethrough, a iiuid-supplying conduit communicating with said opening at a point within said wall, a stay bolt extending through said opening with the head thereof engageable against an interior pad wall and the outer end thereof being threaded and extending beyond said press frame wall, and means threadably engaging the projecting end of 'said bolt in a manner to seal the inner and outer ends of said wall opening, said stay bolt having a longitudinally extending passage communicating with the interior of said pad and said conduit.

6. In a press having a pad carrying frame and an inflatable pressure pad carried thereby, the combinationl comprising, a press frame Wall adjacent said pad and having an opening therethrough, a fluid-supplying conduit communicating with said opening at a point within said wall, a stay bolt extending through said opening with the head thereof engageable against an interior pad wall and the outer end thereof being threaded and extending beyond said press frame wall, said stay bolt having an angularly shaped section cooperating with a similarly shaped section of said wall opening to prevent rotation of the former, .and means threadably engaging the projecting end of said bolt in a manner to seal the inner and outer ends of said wall opening, said stay bolt having a longitudinally extending passage communicating with the interior of said pad and said conduit.

'7. In a press having a pad carrying frame and an inflatable pressure pad carried thereby, the combination comprising, a press frame wall adjacent said pad and having an opening therethrough, a fluid-supplying conduit communicating with said opening at a point within said wall, a stay bolt extending through said opening with the head thereof engageable against an interior pad wall and the outer end thereof being threaded and extending beyond said press frame wall, and a fluid-tight thimble threadably engaging the projecting end of said bolt in a manner to seal the inner and outer ends of said wall opening, said stay bolt having a longitudinal bore cornmunicating with the interior of said pad and extending short of the outer end and an aperture communicating between the bore and said conduit.

8. In a press having a pad carrying frame and an inatable pressure pad carried thereby, the combination comprising, a press frame wall adjacent said pad and having an opening therethrough, a huid-supplying conduit communicating with said opening at a point within said wall, a stem in said opening having an open end communicating with the interior of said pad and an outer end threaded and extending beyond said press frame wall, means threadably engaging the projecting end of said stem whereby the inner and outer ends of said Wall opening are sealed when said means is tightened, and a passage communicating between the interior of said pad and said conduit provided by said stem.

JOHN FREDERICK SMITH. 

